An investigation is underway after two Arizona women were found shot to death in an overturned vehicle on a dangerous highway in northern Mexico.
The women, identified only by their last names and ages, were 72 and 82, the Sonora state attorney’s office said in a social media release Friday.
The victims, originally from Caborca, Mexico, which is further southeast, were dual citizens of the United States and Mexico.
‘COWBOY CARTEL’: MEXICAN DRUG LORD’S AMERICAN RACING HORSE ENDORSED DEADLY CRIME ENTERPRISES
A Mexican National Guard soldier and an Army soldier hold up a sign that says “Mexican Army” in front of a pickup truck suspected of being linked to the deaths of two Arizonans in Sonora, Mexico. (Prosecutor Sonora)
The prosecutor’s office said investigators with the Mexican National Guard and the army had recovered a stolen Ford F-150 and an AK-47 and ammunition believed to be linked to the murders.
Investigators recovered a stolen Ford F-150 believed to be connected to the murders. (Prosecutor Sonora)
“Security forces from three levels of government immediately launched an operation to locate and arrest the criminal group responsible, supported by specialized air and ground forces,” the Sonora state prosecutor said.
MEXICAN PROSECUTOR WEIGHING CHARGES FOR ATTACK AFTER DRUG LORD ‘EL MAYO’ ZAMBADA ARRESTED IN US
Sonora and the Sonoyta-Caborca highway are known for violence and human trafficking of migrants.
Investigators also found an AK-47 and ammunition. (Sonora Attorney’s Office)
In June 2023, a California student doing horticulture research in Sonora was found shot seven times in an SUV. In December, two US residents and one US citizen were shot at by gunmen while traveling on a highway in Sonora. One of the men was killed, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The state was once controlled by notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who was arrested in 2016 and is serving a life sentence in Colorado, and three cartels continue to war in Sonora.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.